"Knowledge is a catalyst for change. Our Corporate Mapping Project is creating an awesome community of researchers and practitioners to investigate and monitor how corporate power is organized and exercised, in and around the fossil-fuel sector."

"The oil and gas industry shapes much of the public discussion about energy and climate change. We need to make that influence visible, so we can have a more democratic conversation about making the transition away from fossil fuels."

"The immense economic and political power of the fossil fuel industry over our governments and public institutions seriously limits their ability to act freely and effectively in the public interest. Shining a light on how that power is exercised and maintained will have a significant impact on democracy and transparency in western Canada."

- Ricardo Acuna, Executive Director, Parkland Institute

"The fossil fuel industry wields enormous influence over government policies and regulations. Knowledge of the vast labyrinth of industry connections to governments and public institutions is crucial to creating a more just and sustainable society."

- Ian Hussey, Research Manager, Parkland Institute

"As the Canadian economy has become more reliant on fossil fuel extraction, the geography of corporate power has also been transformed. Western Canada has become the locus for top corporate management, and the fossil fuel sector’s economic and political power. Given this shift, and the need for ambitious action on climate change, it is vital to investigate the industry’s influence on governments at all levels."

Latest News

In the past year, an energy dispute for the ages has played out in Canada, culminating in the federal government announcing that it will buy an aging oil pipeline for $4.5 billion and then twin it with a new high-capacity pipeline that would move massive amounts of diluted bitumen from Alberta to tidewater in British …

The BC government recently released three “intentions papers” on climate policy—transportation, buildings and industry—all wrapped in the term “clean growth.” In fact, the term “clean” appears more than 70 times in just the introduction to the exercise, Towards a Clean Growth Future in BC. Clean growth is not a commonly used term, nor is it …

Now that we are in a sunny lull between the end of flooding season and the start of fire season, it’s time we had a talk about fossil fuels and climate change in BC. The BC government deserves praise for standing up to Alberta and the federal government over the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX), …

At the height of LNG-mania in 2013/14, high prices in Asia fueled a gold rush mentality in BC—based on shipping cheap BC gas to Asia for mega-profits. But those high prices proved only temporary, and by 2015 the economic case for LNG (liquified natural gas) turned on its head. The subsequent Asian price for gas …

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A research and public engagement project investigating the power of the fossil fuel industry in Western Canada, led by the University of Victoria, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (BC and Saskatchewan Offices) and Parkland Institute. This research is supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).